Tiny holes in silicon modulator create 'slow light' for more efficient data signal conversion
Researchers have developed a new silicon modulator that uses 'slow light' technology to improve the efficiency of data signal conversion in AI data centers. This innovation aims to reduce energy consumption and heat production in high-speed fiber optic communications.
Why it matters
As data demand grows, more efficient hardware is critical for the sustainability and scalability of global AI infrastructure.
edited by Lisa Lock , reviewed by Robert Egan
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Add to Preferred Sources Schematic of the slow-light Mach-Zehnder modulator integrated with an EO equalizer. Credit: Nature Communications (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-78128-1 AI data centers need to move lots of information quickly, and the demand for faster data transmission is only growing. Over very short distances, data centers can use traditional copper wires to connect chips right next to one another. But over distances longer than 1 m (3.3 feet), the connection requires fiber optic cables.
This is because electrical signals transmitted at fast speeds over copper cables degrade quickly with distance and generate large amounts of heat. In contrast, light signals that travel over fiber optic cables do not degrade and travel quickly without producing heat.
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